Clues & Culprits › Archive › Oct 8, 2026 Medium walkthrough
Oct 8, 2026 Full Proof Walkthrough
Every verdict in the Medium case “The Fire Drill on the Fourth Floor”, in an order where each step is proven by the statements already on file.
Play it first Just a hint, please
This Medium case seats 20 suspects on a 4×5 grid. 17 of them carry a clue; the other 3 only have something to say about themselves. 2 of the steps can only be proven by reading two or more clues together. The order below is one valid route; any order where each verdict is proven when you enter it reaches the same answer.
Spoiler: show the full walkthrough
Start: Quinn (A5) begins the case proven innocent.
The person to the left of Nico is a criminal.— Quinn, sommelier (A5)
Step 1: Mila (A4, pianist) is a criminal. This follows from Quinn’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 2: Joan (B3, sommelier) is innocent. This follows from Mila’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Otto and I have no criminal neighbors in common.— Mila, pianist (A4)
Step 3: Nico (B4, pianist) is innocent. This follows from Mila’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 4: Greta (C2, hotel manager) is a criminal. This follows from Nico’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly one of Greta and me is a criminal.— Nico, pianist (B4)
Step 5: Rufus (B5, caretaker) is innocent. This follows from Mila’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 6: Ivan (A3, caretaker) is innocent. This follows from Rufus’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
If Ivan is a criminal, then so am I.— Rufus, caretaker (B5)
Step 7: Esme (A2, sommelier) is innocent. This follows from Ivan’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly four of my five neighbors are innocent.— Ivan, caretaker (A3)
Step 8: Felix (B2, bartender) is innocent. This follows from Ivan’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 9: Amir (A1, bartender) is a criminal. This follows from Esme’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Basil and I have exactly one criminal neighbor in common.— Esme, sommelier (A2)
Step 10: Basil (B1, hotel manager) is innocent. This follows from Amir’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
None of my neighbors is a criminal.— Amir, bartender (A1)
Step 11: Suki (C5, hotel manager) is a criminal. This follows from Basil’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly two of us three hotel managers are criminals.— Basil, hotel manager (B1)
Step 12: Tariq (D5, jeweller) is innocent. This follows from Greta’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly one of Tariq and me is a criminal.— Greta, hotel manager (C2)
Step 13: Cal (C1, jeweller) is a criminal. This needs 2 statements together — Joan’s and Tariq’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly three of my eight neighbors are criminals.— Joan, sommelier (B3)
All the innocents in Column C are connected.— Tariq, jeweller (D5)
Step 14: Kira (C3, pianist) is innocent. This follows from Felix’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly three of my eight neighbors are criminals.— Felix, bartender (B2)
Step 15: Lena (D3, sommelier) is innocent. This follows from Kira’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Hugo and I have exactly one criminal neighbor in common.— Kira, pianist (C3)
Step 16: Otto (C4, caretaker) is a criminal. This follows from Joan’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Step 17: Pia (D4, bartender) is innocent. This needs 2 statements together — Cal’s and Otto’s. Assume the opposite verdict and at least one of them breaks.
Exactly two of my five neighbors are criminals.— Cal, jeweller (C1)
All the criminals in Column D are connected.— Otto, caretaker (C4)
Step 18: Hugo (D2, bartender) is a criminal. This follows from Lena’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
Exactly three of my five neighbors are criminals.— Lena, sommelier (D3)
Step 19: Dev (D1, jeweller) is innocent. This follows from Cal’s statement and the verdicts already proven.
The final lineup
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amir criminal | Basil innocent | Cal criminal | Dev innocent |
| 2 | Esme innocent | Felix innocent | Greta criminal | Hugo criminal |
| 3 | Ivan innocent | Joan innocent | Kira innocent | Lena innocent |
| 4 | Mila criminal | Nico innocent | Otto criminal | Pia innocent |
| 5 | Quinn innocent | Rufus innocent | Suki criminal | Tariq innocent |
What happened
Every safe in the hotel answers to one master code, and Greta and Suki, the duty managers, had both known it for years. Otto, the caretaker, set off the alarm with a lighter held under a sensor, then 'investigated' it for forty minutes while the floor stayed empty. Amir and Hugo poured free brandy for the guests on the pavement so nobody wandered back in early. Cal, the hotel's resident jeweller, valued the haul in the basement before dawn, and Mila carried it out at breakfast inside the lid of the lounge piano, which was 'going away for tuning'.